CSBG Archive

A Year of Cool Comic Book Moments – Day 34

Here is the latest cool comic book moment in our year-long look at one cool comic book moment a day (in no particular order whatsoever)! Here‘s the archive of the moments posted so far!

Today we take a look at an amusing moment from about a third of the way through Peter David’s Incredible Hulk run.

Enjoy!

Incredible Hulk #374-375 was the re-introduction of Rick Jones to the supporting cast of the title, and it tells the story of a ship of Skrull soldiers sent to capture Rick Jones to try to unlock the secret power of his mind (from the Kree Skrull War).

The Super Skrull is along for the ride and he encounters the Hulk, and they have a rather large battle.

At the end of #375, Rick is on board the Hulk ship when the Hulk damages the ship so much that it ends up exploding….

We next see the Hulk turn back into Bruce Banner and, along with Betty Banner (who Bruce/Hulk had just recently reunited with), he laments the death of his friend, Rick…

However, Rick is not dead!!

And that leads to one of my favorite exchanges from Peter David’s run, and a moment I believe David has even singled out in the time since as a way to write your way out of of a corner (like having Rick Jones still being on the ship when it exploded).

I always fondly recall that moment – one of David’s better lines from the series (and there were a number of them).

30 Comments

Hmm..that crull commander scene.. I have seen it before… Yes! It’s almost a verbatim copy of the commander death scene from “The Last Starfighter”…. Interesting.. Which came first? The movie or the comic book?

// Steamboat Willie

Brian Cronin

Brian Mac

Considering that David is a noted Star Trek writer, it wouldn’t surprise me at all that he includes Star Trek references — although I assume Mr. Cronin knows that, and is simply mentioning Star Trek V as a very odd choice to reference, since it’s a terrible movie. Personally, I thought the Skrull dialog was a Star Trek reference as well — when the Enterprise is three seconds from a core breach, there’s always something they can do.

Jeff Ryan

Every year I plan to re-read David’s entire Hulk run, but I never get round to it. It walked that fine line between tongue in cheek and outright parody better than any other Marvel series I can think of. Except maybe his run on Captain Marvel…

Nick Evans

Unfortunately, for a British reader, Banner’s “ohh, Betty” is uncomfortably close to Frank Spencer from “Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em” – a rather effete, slapstick sit-com character. It’s worth googling Frank Spencer and looking at the first Youtube result for an example. I can’t really imagine Frank hulking out, mind.

comb & razor

Unfortunately, for a British reader, Banner’s “ohh, Betty” is uncomfortably close to Frank Spencer from “Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em” – a rather effete, slapstick sit-com character. It’s worth googling Frank Spencer and looking at the first Youtube result for an example. I can’t really imagine Frank hulking out, mind.

Hey, if he could transform into a menacing Phantom of the Opera, anything is possible, yeah?

Apodaca

Tom Fitzpatrick

Y’know, I read a book by PAD called “But I Digress …” which was a weekly column in a Comic journal publication (the name of which I forget).

Anyway, PAD once talked about twist endings that he wrote in the Incredible Hulk (for one) and he mentioned about the Rick Jones parachuting sequence. I believe he said that he had forgotten about Rick Jones until the editor reminded him of it and then PAD had to scramble over the twist ending.

James

This was the first issue of PAD’s run on the Hulk that I ever read. Two other memorable (though not as good as the parachute exchange) moments in this issue: 1) a Skrull with wings bellows something like “I know every corner of this ship!” before slamming into a wall. 2) the Super-Skrull yells “Isn’t anyone on this planet normal?!?!” after discovering that his about-to-faint human hostage is AKA the Hulk. Good times.

James

“I always fondly recall that moment – one of David’s better lines from the series (and there were a number of them).”

I forgot to mention – yes, PAD wrote some great lines of dialogue throughout the series. Another one of my favorites – the Abomination taunts the Green intelligent hulk (recently introduced, replacing the Gray hulk as the focus of the book) with “What happened? Did you lose a fight to Ted Turner?”

Jbird

KMFPL

IIRC, the other reference here is to an old Cap’n America cliff-hanger. At the end of one issue, Cap is shown jumping out of an exploding plane or ship without a parachute, with a caption saying “How will Cap survive? Buy next month’s issue!!!”

The next month’s issue, of course, opens with Cap parachuting gently to the ground, with no mention of where he got a parachute.

And Brian, you have to include the PD HULK scene where Rick doesn’t recognize the Green Hulk, because he’s wearing glasses…

Semsu

I have to read this, I’ve never read a Hulk issue in my life, but PAD had me enjoying things I never thought I would enjoy, like Aquaman or Young Justice, and I love that “We explode” line even more that the moment Brian is choosing.

So I have to get me some Hulk PAD, definitely. That’s what I love about this blog, it encourages to read things you always knew that someday you had to read when presenting you with actual great moments.

Peter Davids Hulk run was one of the greatest runs Ive ever read, and I still need to finish it. The stuff he did early with McFarlane deserves a mention, esp the battle with wolverine. The Hulk getting up from the classic wolverine T-Shirt Tenting manuever is one of the best scenes ever. First he gets the claws through the chest with his shirt magically able to withstand adamantium, and then after wolvie walks off he stands up…and says lets…lets try that again. Incredible.